MTP's Todd to Donald Trump: It Sounds Like You're Not a Fan of NATO

CHUCK TODD: Let's go to Europe. You wrote this: "Pulling back from Europe would save this country millions of dollars annually. The cost of stationing N.A.T.O. troops in Europe is enormous. And these are clearly funds that can be put to better use." We pull out of Europe, would you want to end the N.A.T.O. alliance completely as well?

DONALD TRUMP: Well, I'll tell you I'm a little concerned about N.A.T.O. from this standpoint. Take Ukraine. We're leading Ukraine. Where's Germany? Where are the countries of Europe leading? I don't mind helping them. I don't mind being right behind them. I'll be right behind them. You know the old expression, "Go on, fellows. I'm right behind you?"

I'll be behind them so much. But why isn't Germany? Germany's a very, very powerful, and economically powerful, and rich country. Why isn't Germany, Chuck, leading this charge? Why is the United States? I mean, we're like the policemen of the world. And why are we leading the charge in Ukraine?

TODD: So you don't think Ukraine's our responsibility?

TRUMP: I don't like what's happening with Ukraine. But that's really a problem that affects Europe a lot more than it affects us. And they should be leading some of this charge.

TODD: So you wouldn't allow Ukraine into N.A.T.O.?

TRUMP: I would not care that much to be honest with you. Whether it goes in or doesn't go in, I wouldn't care. If it goes in, great. If it doesn't go in, great. Look, I would support N.A.T.O..

TODD: It sounds like you're not a fan of N.A.T.O.

TRUMP: I'm a fan of fairness. I'm a fan of common sense. I'm certainly not a fan of us being against Russia--

TODD: We're about 40 percent of N.A.T.O.--

TRUMP: --for Ukraine when Germany is sitting back, you know, accepting all the oil and gas that they can get from Russia. So why isn't Germany involved? You know, she's a great leader. And one of the reasons that Merkel's a great leader is she sort of says, "Oh, good. Let's the United States handle it."

Why are we always at the forefront of everything? As an example, you look at Iraq. China is taking oil out of Iraq like nobody would believe. What did we do? We spent $2 trillion, and all those lives, and wounded warriors. China is taking tremendous amounts of oil out of Iraq.

You look at Afghanistan. We're fighting in Afghanistan. Big mountains. Tremendous ridges and mountains. And we're fighting over here. And China has these massive-- you know, Afghanistan has tremendous minerals, which a lot of people don't know. Tremendous minerals. China's--

TODD: Nobody knows how to get them out--

TRUMP:--over here excavating all the mirac-- and we're here fighting. And China is taking out all the minerals. What are we doing? What are we doing? The other day I ordered 4,000 television sets. Four thousand for a big project that I'm building and built. And that's a big order, right? So I wanna-- I'd love to buy American. You can't buy them from America. They're all from South Korea. Now, we defend South Korea. I like South Korea. They're great people. I mean, I also have great relationships with them.

TODD: We're getting off a tangent here. But how are you going to put this genie--

TRUMP: No, but it's not really a tangent.

TODD: How do you put this toothpaste--

TRUMP: It's all common sense.

TODD: No, I know. No, no. How do you put this toothpaste back in the tube? Manufacturing jobs, you're saying you're going to bring these jobs back.

TRUMP: I'm going to bring a lot of jobs back.

TODD: Most of them--this is automation and robotics.

TODD: I mean, that's taken away a lot of jobs. Outsourcing and robotics--

TRUMP: Okay, if you take South Korea, they make a fortune off it. We do very little to them. They do tremendous to us. You can't buy a television-- other than Sony, which is Japan, you can't buy a television practically if it's not made in South Korea. Everybody. Whether it's Samsung or all of them. Sharp.

All of them are--it's, like, South Korea. So I say to myself, "I mean, this is terrible." Now, when they have a war, when the young man-- we want to be very nice today, right? So the young man from North Korea starts acting up and having one of his fits, we immediately get our ships going. We get our aircraft. We get nothing for this. I'm not saying that we’re going to let anything happen to them. But they have to help us.